Test Drive: All-new 2018 Hyundai Accent

Tuesday

Jan 2, 2018 at 9:53 AMJan 2, 2018 at 9:53 AM

Greg Zyla More Content Now

Entry Price: $14,995Price As Tested: $19,905

There’s a brand new Hyundai Accent for 2018, featuring a completely redesigned exterior, interior and expanded standard features. This new generation Accent, available in sedan or hatchback formats, moves the car’s salability factor up several notches in the battle for compact car consumer approval.

Most impressive is Accent’s new four-door sedan exterior, where the design now closely resembles its larger siblings Hyundai Sonata and Elantra. Specifically, both the front and rear designs of the new Accent now mimic the other Hyundai sedans in much the same manner other car manufacturers do in better branding a corporate family design.

Our Accent sedan featured a new cascading grille and impressive rear tail light improvement similar to Sonata and Elantra. Hyundai says their new little compact offers a “boldly sophisticated design sure to get more admiring glances. It has fuel economy and a warranty that keeps you going farther for less. Plus, features that offer comfort and safety you’d expect to find only on more expensive cars.”

After a week of driving over 300 miles, I agree.

Notable is a new dashboard and smartly upgraded interior, where driver and passenger will no doubt be impressed by a feel of more roominess not found in prior Accents. Be it the entry SE that starts at $14,995 to mid-level SEL at $17,295 to our test-drive Limited, which starts at $18,995, all Accents are impressive. Additionally, every 2018 Accent now offers standard tilt steering wheel with audio and cruise control functions plus Bluetooth activation. There’s also Smartphone/USB, MP3 and auxiliary input jacks for numerous applications across the 2018 Accent standard feature lineup.

When you move up to the SEL and Limited, upgrades include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. These features are especially good for those who use their iPhone in the car (I would think that’s most of us). Apple CarPlay is a safer way to get access to Apple Music and Maps, send messages, and make calls. Android Auto, meanwhile, allows access to maps, navigation, contacts lists, texts, calls, and your favorite music seamlessly and safely again using Accent’s touchscreen or, better yet, voice recognition. This all supports not taking your eyes off the road for any reason, something the major manufacturers are getting behind a big way.

As for comfort, the new Accents offers a nice interior even on the entry SE, and then adds additional amenities corresponding to price increases for the SEL and Limited models. On the highway, the little Hyundai handles very well and is a pleasure to drive. It feels bigger than it is thanks to the new interior.

A notable standard feature available only on the Limited is the highly regarded forward collision avoidance, which joins the other standard safety features found on each and every Accent like rearview camera, anti-Lock four wheel disc brakes, all the airbags, traction controls and more. A driver blind spot mirror and hill start assist come standard on the SEL and Limited models, while top line Limited features an upgraded Bluetooth with voice recognition versus the standard non-voice Bluetooth on the entry SE. Again, if you want forward collision avoidance, it’s not available on the SE and SEL models, not even as an option.

Powertrain and fuel mileage is significant as all three 2018 Accent models come with a 130-horsepower 1.6-liter inline four cylinder that delivers 119 lb. ft. of torque. We averaged 35 mpg for a 200 mile trip, which is impressive considering we drove the little Accent more aggressively than usual. The EPA numbers are 28 city ad 38 highway, both very good for the compact car class. The engine mates to a Shiftronic six-speed automatic with ECO (economy) mode while the SEL and SE also offer six-speed automatics, sans the ECO mode selection. However, ECO or not, all Accents deliver identical fuel economy with the six speed automatics. For those who still like to shift, a six-speed manual transmission is available only on the entry SE model only, and fuel mileage drops just a bit to 28 city and 37 city, the latter one less than the six-speed automatic.

The only option our Accent featured was carpeted floor mats for $125, which brought the final retail price to $19,905 with $885 delivery included.

There’s much to like about the brand new 2018 Hyundai Accent, currently being delivered to area Hyundai dealers nationwide. With new looks and nicer interior, it should be on your compact car list if shopping this segment. I recommend starting with the mid-level SEL at $17,295 and decide from there. Remember, Hyundai is known for discounting handsomely from retail, be it brand new or leftover models.

Likes: All new design, fuel mileage, more standard features, 10 year/100,000 mile warranty.Dislikes: Only Limited offers higher-tech safety, a few more horsepower would be nice.

— Greg Zyla writes weekly for More Content Now and GateHouse Media publications.

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